In Genesis chapter 8, verse 22, the Bible tells us that, “As long as the world exists, there will be a time for planting and a time for harvest. There will always be cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night."
This is true in our lives as Christians. To put it simply, once we are alive, we will always have seasons in our lives. Seasons where we are being planted and must establish where our roots are, and seasons when we are bearing the fruits of our labour. Being alive means, we will have days when we feel like life is a never-ending winter, but as long as our hearts keep beating, summer will also come and we will be able to dance in the sunset, smile at the flowers and sing like birds. Nothing last forever.
A time for everything
In the Bible, King Solomon was lauded as the wisest in his day. In his writings in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, verses 1-8 it says “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace”.
Once we understand that seasons come and go, it gives us perspective, so we know that whatever it is we are going through, is not perpetual. We can master each season of our lives by asking some important questions. Instead of asking ‘why me?’, ask ‘why not me?’. Ask ‘what is the lesson I can learn from this?’ ‘How can I be better because of this?’
Importantly, whenever we are going through seasons of pruning and growth, it is equally important that we harness all that God is teaching us, perfecting our skills and cultivating our talents and abilities. Everything that happens in your life, has its place and its time.
We should never have to wake up a day in our lives and ask questions of whether what is happening will be good for us. In Romans chapter 8, verse 28 we see Paul reminding us of this truth “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” It is true then, that if you love the Lord, your life has purpose and nothing happens by accident.
Winter and Spring
In the dry season, we learn to trust God more. The reason why we do not see trees dying in the winter, is because they were made in such a way that they develop a substance that traps their root and works as an anti-freezing element. This means that the roots of the tree stay alive during winter, allowing it to blossom in spring as the season changes. A season of winter in our lives allows the Holy Spirit to be our antifreeze agent that protects our roots and does not allow the harshness of our reality, much like the harshness of winter, to consume us. Roots do not die, much the same as we won’t die in our dry season, the tree stands its ground, naked and cold, but ever rooted, and we can too.
In the springtime, the first pop of color is oftentimes the vibrant yellow of the dandelion. For many, this is allergy 101, but I tend to see this as a sign of hope, which yellow traditionally signifies. In this season of our lives, we start to see a ray of sunshine, the Son shines through and we start to visualize hope in every day and cling to the God who has kept us through the cold. It is that beam of light that tells us there is light at the end of the tunnel. We must, however, be careful not to forget to keep planting seeds of prayer and the Word so that in due season, we will bear fruit
Summer and Fall
Everyone loves summer. The flowers in full glory, the days are long and blissful, we finally get to go to the beach, have barbecues, spend time with family and friends. Summer is the season of answered prayers. We are finally seeing fruit and we are on a high. Too often however, we forget that we must still thank God during this season and prayer is just as essential now as it was in cold desperation. We should seek to use this season as an opportunity to share with others our truth, the truth about who God has revealed Himself to be in our lives, so that others may be able to overcome by the word of our testimonies.
And finally Fall. Fall may be my favorite season because of the colors, I live for long drives in the countryside seeing the leaves change from green to yellow, orange, brown and purple. But this is the season, just before the grass dies and the water bodies freeze over. Fall is not where we want to be comfortable. Though it may look good, the problem most people have with fall is that it is neither hot nor cold. No one enjoys lukewarm coffee. In the same way, though some seasons may seem to provide some comfort, we must never forget to nudge ourselves to keep our relationships, payer life and devotion as hot as the summertime.